Ex. 5 Name some famous people in art and comment on them. Why do people think them the items of human beauty as cultural universals?

Читайте также:

What is Beauty?

1. Can people answer the question what beauty is?

2. Can you offer your understanding what beauty is?

3. Through what process does human beauty change?

4. Why do people make a distinction between elements of physical and spiritual beauty?

5. Where can you find beauty?

6. How do people understand physical and spiritual beauty?

7. Why do people believe that beauty will save the world?

Beauty - Physical and Spiritual

What is beauty? In my opinion nobody can answer this question exactly. So many people - so many opinions. Beauty may be physical and spiritual. In different times people understood beauty in different ways.

For example, let's take woman's beauty. In the Middle Ages a beautiful woman first of all had to be fat. Slim women were not in fashion. In the 18-19th centuries and earlier corsets came to Russia from the West, from the European countries. Then fat women weren't considered beautiful. All ladies tried to follow the fashion and to make their waists thin. As for beauty nowadays, well, I think there are no definite ideas about theirs. You can look as you want and as you like. All people are different: fat and slim, white and colored, fair- and dark-haired, tall and short. All of us know it and practically none of us agree with it.

Really, it's very difficult to find a person who is pleased with his or her appearance. Women especially are not pleased with it. Women with dark hair dye and make their hair fair. People with smooth hair curl it in locks; those who were rewarded by nature with locks carefully uncurl and smooth it with different gels and foams. People with dark skin dream of becoming white (some even succeed in the realization of this expensive dream). Short people buy boots and shoes with high platforms, and tall people, on the contrary, wear boots with flat soles. In such ways we try to be beautiful.

But not only women may be attractive; men may be handsome too. Here we also collide with different tastes and ideas. As for me, I think that the most handsome man must be tall, with short and fair hair, neither thin nor fat, blue-eyed, and with a dazzling smile. I don't like men with long hair, because they look unattractive. But that's only my opinion.

People may have different tastes, but looking at a very attractive person, for example, a famous actor or a star, or perhaps at a portrait of a very beautiful person, a lot of people will like him or her. It means that our different tastes have something in common.

Beauty may also be in art. There are many kinds of art: music, painting, architecture. Nowadays there are a lot of musical styles - pop, dance, classic, jazz, modern, instrumental, rock, metal and many others. As for me, I like pop, dance and hip-hop. Other people like classical music; some enjoy metal and hard rock. But in my opinion metal and hard rock is not music. What is music? Music is beauty too. It reflects human life and feelings. I don't understand these music styles, but others may hate pop music. Everybody understands music differently.

As for painting, if you have ever been to the Tretyakov Gallery, you could be amazed at the number and kinds of pictures represented there. Many of them delight with their beauty; they are real works of art. But when I was in the Tretyakov Gallery I didn't understand the works of abstract art. Such painting puzzled me, I could not see anything "real" or "natural" in it. There are a lot of lines and colors in the pictures. But those who painted these canvases put definite ideas in them. The artists tried to reflect their feelings and emotion's in these pictures. Unfortunately, I don't understand the works of abstract painters.

Now, a few words about spiritual beauty. What do I mean when talking about spiritual beauty? I mean the beauty of the inner world of a person -kindness, responsibility, readiness to help without any reward, friendliness and other traits of character that make a person beautiful in his or her spirit. Such a person will give warmth to the people that surround him or her. In my opinion, a real beautiful person must combine physical beauty with good traits of character.

Vocabulary practice

Ex. 1 Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary.

Ex. 2 Find in the text the English equivalents of the following:

на мою думку, скільки людей - стільки й думок, жіноча краса, бути не в моді, струнка, товста, бути задоволеним собою, красити волосся, худнути на талії, бути привабливої, гарний чоловік, духовна краса, внутрішній світ, дивувати, полотно, відображати почуття й емоції, доброта, готовність допомогти.

Ex. 3 Supply the missing words or word combinations choosing among those given below.

1. In the middle ages a beautiful woman first of all had ___________.

2. All people are different: fat and slim ______________.

3. People with dark skin dream of ____________.

4. But not only women may be attractive: ____________.

5. Here we also collide with ___________.

6. It means that our different tastes _____________.

7. Nowadays there are a lot of musical styles – pop, dance, classic, ___________.

becoming white; to be fat; men may be handsome too; jazz, modern, rock and metal; different tastes and ideas; have smth. in common; white and coloured, tall and short.

Ex. 4 Use the following expressions in sentences of your own:

slim woman, in my opinion, as for me, an attractive person, to be amazed at, delight with, the works of abstract art, the beauty of inner world, traits of character, to give warmth to, to have something in common, different tastes.

Comprehension Exercises

Ex. 1 Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. How did people understand beauty in different times?

2. Were slim women in fashion in Russia in the 18-19th centuries?

3. Are there any definite ideas about women’s beauty nowadays?

4. Why is it very difficult to find a person who is pleased with his or her appearance?

5. Why do people with different tastes like the same things or persons?

6. Where can we find beauty?

7. Why do people think music is beauty too?

8. What do the artists try to reflect in their pictures?

9. Do you agree that a real beautiful person must combine physical beauty with good traits of character?

10. Do you agree with the proverb: “So many people – so many opinions”?

Ex. 2 Retell the text with the examples of beauty in nature, art, etc.

Ex. 3 Make up a dialogue on spiritual and physical beauty.

Ex. 4 Speak on beauty and its aspects in brief and illustrate your reports with examples and situations of your own.